1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to safety mechanisms for handguns and more particularly, to a safety device for hammer-equipped pistols and revolvers, including service revolvers used by law enforcement officers. A primary component of the safety device of this invention is a lock pin slidably mounted in the upper portion of the pistol handle or grip and biased toward the hammer by means of a lock pin spring. A locking rod is also slidably mounted in the handle in angular relationship with respect to the lock pin, with the upper end of the locking rod engaging a seat located in the lock pin, for retaining the lock pin inwardly of the handle against the bias of the lock pin spring. A release pin is fitted into a bore located in the base of the pistol handle for normally engaging the lower end of the locking rod and maintaining the upper end of the locking rod in contact with the lock pin. The pistol can be fired so long as the release pin is seated in the basde of the handle. However, if the release pin is pulled from the handle, the locking rod is allowed to slide downwardly by operation of gra0ity from engagement with the lock pin and the lock pin is then forced inwardly beneath the hammer in the path of the hammer flange by tension in the lock pin spring, to lock the hammer and prevent firing of the pistol. In a preferred embodiment, the release pin is secured to a holster for containing the weapon by means of a release pin cable, in order to facilitate retraction of the pin from the handle of the gun if the gun is seized by an assailant and pulled from the grasp of a law enforcement officer, thereby disabling the weapon from firing.
A hazard which results in the death of manyl law enforcement officers annually is that of seizing the officer's handgun, either from the holster or from the hand of the officer himself. These seizures sometimes occur during struggles with an allailant during the commission of a crime and frequently result in the death or wounding of the police officer by his own weapon. Since the handgun must always be carried in a readily accessible position in a holster worn by a police officer, the weapon is accessible not only to the officer himself in the course of enforcing the law, but also to others who may be in close proximity to the officer. Accordingly, the weapon can be grasped grasped and pulled from the holster or from the officer's hand by stealth or under conditions of struggle.
2. Field of the Invention
Various types of safety and lock mechanisms for tirearms and handguns in particular, are known to those skilled in the art. A typical safety lock for firearms is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,945,316, date July 19,1960, to L. F. Mulno. The safety lock includes a spring-loaded guide stem located within the firearm frame and acting on the hammer when in cocked position, to urge the hammer into firing position. A trigger is carried by the frame for releasibly holding the hammer in cocked configuration and a releasable locking mechanism is also included in the frame, which locking mechanism includes a threaded locking member having a part movable toward and away from the lower end of the stem, such that the locking member is engageable with the stem to prevent it from moving to the cocked position. The threaded locking member is movable within the frame for moving the part to and from the locking poistion and a key is designed to selectively engage and disengage the outer end portion of the threaded member for turning it to and from the locking position. U.S. Pat. No. 875,469, dated Dec. 31,1907, to J. Tambour, details an "Automatic Safety Appliance for Locking the Hammer and the Sear of Small Arms". This patent details a locking lever adapted to engage the sear and hammer disk when the hammer disk is in either a cocked or uncocked position and a rotating pin for locking the lever into a selected configuration. A "Safety Locking Device For Small Arms" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 891,148, dated June 23,1908, also to J. Tambour. The device includes a rotating member mounted at the base of the handle with a locking linkage connecting the rotating member to the hammer, in order to selectively lock the hammer and prevent the weapon from firing. U.S. Pat. No 905,020, dated Nov. 24,1908, also to J. Tambour, further details a "Safety Lock for Revolvers, Pistols or the Like". The device includes a safety lever, a locking lever connecting to the safety lever and engaged by a main spring and an exteriorly-projecting and operative device for manipulating the locking lever into and out o fa locking position in which it locks the safety lever. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,664, dated May 24,1977, to Frank Murabito, details a "Safety for Rifle". The Safety device includes a rod connected to a lever which cam be inserted through a bore on the back side of the rifle hammer when the hammer is extended slightly pass the fully cocked position. The rod is adapted to engage the hammer and prevent the hammer from moving regardless of the motion of the trigger. U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,320, dated Jan. 23,1979, to Joseph E. Smith, details a "Magnetically Actuable Safety Apparatus". The apparatus typically includes a magnetically -actuable member slidably mounted in a housing and a magnetic biasing means juxtaposed the magnetically actuable member, for maintaining the member in blocking relationship with the part. A magnetic means is provided from without the device for overcoming the attraction or repulsion of the magnetic biasing means, whereby the part is free to move. A similar device is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,014, dated May 15,1979, also to Joseph E. Smith. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,545, dated Aug. 28,1984, to Fredric A Shaw, Jr., details a "Personalized Safety Method and Apparatus for a Hand-Held Weapon". The patent details a hand-held weapon which is fitted with a safety device responsive to the palm or fingerprint of one or more individuals. A safety device is activated by heat sensed when the device is held in the hand. Unless the palm or fingerprint ot the person holding the device matches a pre-stored pattern, a blocking safety mechanism, normally preventing operation of the weapon, is maintained in its "blocking state" the weapon will not fire. A safety device for preventing the unauthorized firing of a weapon is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,132, dated Jan. 10,1978, to Joseph E. Smith. The patent details a trigger safety device for trigger-actuated devices, which device includes a picotally-mounted, magnetically-responsive bar positioned on the inside of the handle or on the rear of the trigger. When the bar is oriented centrally, sufficient movement of the trigger is inhibited to prevent actuation. The bar may be mounted in a non-magnetizable casing and the user of the device displaces the bar from its central orientation by operation of a magnetic ring and allows sufficient movement of the trigger for actuation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,763, dated June 16, 1987 , to Jerry M. Cunningham, details a "Safety Device for Preventing the Unauthorized Firing of a Weapon by Releasing the Hammer Spring". The device includes a hammer, a handle and a leaf spring located inside the handle. The leaf spring places tension on the hammer when the weapon is enabled and is held by a stop member is movable. When the stop member is moced to a lower position, the spring is released and the weapon is disabled. The stop member is moced by a strap and a ring connected to the stop member and the handle must be disassembled in order to return the spring and the stop member to the enable condition.
It is an object of this invention is to provide a new and improved safety for pistols, which safety is characterized by a release pin slidably mounted in the base of a handgun handle or grip for retaining a lock pin and locking rod combination in pistol-firing configuration, such that release of the release of the release pin facilitates slidable adjustment of the locking rod and the lock pin in the hand gun grip to privent the weapon from firing.
Another object of this invention to provide an new and improved safety for hammer-operated handguns and revolvers in particular, which safety is characterized by a lock pin slidably mounted in the top portion of the handle of the weapon, a locking rod also slidably mounted in the handle substantially transversed to, or in angular relationship with respect to the lock pin, with one end of the locking rod engaging a seat located in the lock pin and further including a release pin inserted in the base of the handle, for engaging the opposite end of the locking rod and retaining the locking rod in engagment with the lock pin to prevent the lock from locking the hammer.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved saftey for handguns, and revolvers in particular, which safety is characterized by spring-loaded lock pin slidably mounted in a bore provided in the frame of the handgun at the top of the handle or grip, and elongated locking rod having an upper end normally seated in a receptacle or seat located in the lock pin and the opposite, or lower end of the locking rod engaging a release pin slidably mounted in the base of the grip and further including a cable connecting the release pin to a holster designed to carry the weapon. Removal of the release pin responsive to tension in the cable when the weapon is seized and removed from the holster allows the locking rod to slide downwardly by operation of gravity from engagement with the lock pin and spring bias causes the lock pin to then engage a hammer flange projecting from the hammer and thereby prevent firing of the weapon.